UNM Splits Opening Day of Lobo Classic
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The University of New Mexico Lobos split their opening games of the Lobo Classic at Lobo Softball Field on Friday afternoon, defeating the La Salle Explorers 11-7 before falling in a narrow one-run game, 6-5, to Northern Colorado.
Senior shortstop Cameryn O’Grady led the team on the day with five hits on seven at-bats, for a hitting percentage of .714 and an on-base percentage of .750, hitting two doubles and driving in a team-high four RBI between the two games.
Junior outfielder Andrea Howard went 4-for-7 (.571) at the plate with one home run and two RBI between the two games, while Taylor Jones and Rachael Hathoot accounted for two RBI each.
The Lobos received hits from 10 different players between the two games with eight tallying at least one RBI. Six different hitters reached base via a walk.
Freshman Briana Martinez continued her on-base streak, bringing her total to 16 games, while O’Grady extended hers to five and Howard extended hers to four. In addition, Martinez registered her fifth stolen base of the season and Howard her second, with the Lobos a perfect 9-for-9 on the season.
In the circle, the Lobos used three pitchers with senior Kiana Spencer getting the ball to start the game against La Salle, with freshman Brianna Sanchez entering in the seventh inning to pitch in relief. Senior Bailey Klitzke pitched a complete game against UNC.
GAME ONE: LA SALLE
The Lobos scored in just two innings, but the run production was enough as UNM took the first game of the day 11-7 to snap its four-game losing streak.
Batting in the leadoff spot for the first time this season, UNM was led at the plate by O’Grady, who went 3-for-4 on the afternoon including one double, finishing the game with three RBI. Lauren Wilmert and Gavyn Shafer each went 2-for-3, for Shafer’s first multi-hit game of the season and Wilmert’s second. Hathoot accounted for two RBI in the contest, her second multi-RBI game this season.
UNM had its leadoff batters reach base in the first two innings of the game with O’Grady and Wilmert hitting base hits to the outfield, including a bases loaded situation in the second, but the Lobos were unable to get into the scoring column.
Both teams finally got on the board in the third inning, with errors aiding in the scoring. The Explorers were the first on the board in the top half of the inning on a two-out grand slam down the right field line, made possible by a muffed throw by Shafer at first to start the inning.
However, the Lobos answered in the home half of the inning, starting with Hathoot reaching base on a hit-by-pitch. A single by Martinez down the right field line moved Hathoot around to third, a stolen base by Martinez and a walk following a full count for Howard loaded the bases with no one out. Wilmert drove in the first run of the game for UNM on a dropped fly ball by the La Salle right fielder, and a walk for Shafer scored Howard to cut the deficit in half. Jones was hit by a pitch to bring in the third run and a two-out single to left field by O’Grady gave UNM its first lead of the game at 5-4, with the Lobo moving to second on the throw and Jones holding at third. Hathoot followed that up with a double to the gap in left center to score Jones and O’Grady, giving UNM the 7-4 lead.
In the bottom of the third, UNM scored seven runs on three hits and an error.
Spencer kept the Explorers off of the board in the fourth as the La Salle runner was thrown out at second to end the inning.
Howard led off the fourth with a single through the right side followed by a Wilmert double to left field to again put two runners in scoring position. A Reyan Tuck sacrifice fly to center scored Howard from third, and with two outs in the inning, Shafer kept the inning going with a single up the middle. Jones reached on a hit-by-pitch and Taryn Young reached on a dropped fly ball by the second baseman that allowed Jones and Shafer to come around to score. O’Grady extended the inning with a double to left center to score Young for the fourth run of the inning as the Lobos extended their lead to 11-4 with four runs and four hits in the fourth.
Both teams got through the fifth without any runs crossing the plate before La Salle added a run in the sixth.
After the first two Explorers reached base in the top of the seventh, Sanchez entered the game in place of Spencer and closed out the game. La Salle added two more runs in the inning on three hits, but the Lobos would prevail in the end with the 11-7 victory.
Spencer improved to 5-1 on the season, finishing with a final line of 6.0 innings, allowing seven runs (three earned) on 11 hits, throwing 68 total pitches with 51 going for strikes. Sanchez threw 1.0 inning, allowing just one hit, and throwing nine pitches with six going for strikes with four batters faced.
La Salle (0-6) outhit the Lobos (7-8) 12 to 10 in the game, but also committed three errors. The Lobos led 3-1 in walks with Howard, Shafer and Taylor each earning their way on base by base on balls.
GAME TWO: NORTHERN COLORADO
A four-run sixth inning by the Lobos cut the margin to one at 6-5, but the Lobos couldn’t complete the comeback as the Bears came away with the win.
UNC put two runs on the board in the opening frame, aided by a throwing error by O’Grady, a bases-loaded walk and a fielder’s choice to shortstop that scored a run.
While the Lobos had a chance to score in the bottom of the first after loading the bases that didn’t amount to runs, the Lobos got on the board in the bottom of the second behind a solo home run to the bleachers in left field by Jones on the second at-bat of the inning.
The Bears added two more in the following at-bats to make it 4-1, as a double by the leadoff hitter, two wild pitches and a fielding error by Hathoot at third set the table for a two-run double to right center.
UNM again had runners in scoring position in the third with Sydney Broderick reaching on a single and advanced to third on a Shafer double to left center, but a strikeout left them stranded.
After a clean fourth and fifth inning by Klitzke in the circle, UNM had another opportunity in the bottom of the fifth to cut into the Bear lead. The Lobos put the first two batters of the inning on with a walk by Martinez and a single by Howard. Leslie Romero followed on the ensuing at-bat with a single up the middle, but Martinez was thrown out at home trying to score from second. With runners still on second and third, the Lobos were unable to capitalize, and the inning ended on a strikeout and a liner to first.
Northern Colorado took advantage in the top of the sixth with two more runs on a double, a triple and a single to make it 6-1.
The Lobos rallied in the bottom of the inning to score four runs, starting off with a double by Jones and a single to left field by Young that scored Jones. Young moved to second on the throw home and O’Grady delivered the second run of the inning with a double to the gap in left center, her 11th double of the season. The Bears went to the bullpen to bring in Erin Caviness for starting pitcher Maggie Thurston and after the new pitcher recorded two outs, Howard hit a home run to center to make it a one-run game. UNM would score four runs on four hits in the inning.
With Howard’s home run to go along with Jones’ home run, it is the sixth time this season that the Lobos have recorded multiple home runs in a game, and just the second time that the Lobos have been on the losing end of the outcome when that happens.
The Lobos were unable to continue the momentum to the seventh inning as the side was retired in order.
UNM left a total of nine runners on base in the game compared to seven for UNC and outhit the Bears 11-9.
Klitzke finished with a final line of 7.0 innings, allowing nine hits, six runs (two earned) and striking out six hitters. The senior threw a total of 114 pitches with 74 called strikes in her first complete game of the season and third at UNM.
The Lobos (7-9) have two games on the schedule for Saturday as the Lobo Classic continues with another four games overall at Lobo Softball Field. UNM will play La Salle at 3:30 p.m. MT and South Dakota at 6 p.m. with both games streamed on the Mountain West Network.